In this social history of modern India, historian Lisa Trivedi explores the making of one of the country's most enduring political symbols: khadi, a homespun and woven cloth. The image of Mohandas Gandhi clothed simply in a loincloth and plying a spinning wheel is familiar around the world, as is the sight of Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and other political leaders dressed in "Gandhi caps" and khadi shirts. Trivedi explains what is less widely understood: that these images associate the wearers with the swadeshi movement, advocating the exclusive consumption of indigenous goods to establish India's autonomy from Great Britain, and that khadi was used to create a visual expression of national identity after Independence.